David Axelrod - David Axelrod (2001) [Hi-Res]

Legendary Los Angeles composer, producer and arranger David Axelrod, whose records have been sampled by hip-hop DJs for decades, returns after a six-year silence with an album for Mo’ Wax. His previous releases were Requiem (1993) and The Big Country (1995, a tribute to country music). Skeptics expected another overhyped letdown, but the record turns out to be a strong one.

The album is built on seven songs from an unfinished project for Reprise, which Axelrod began in 1969 and based on Goethe’s Faust. The lead sheets had been written and the rhythm tracks recorded and pressed onto acetates, but for internal reasons at Warner Bros. the album never came out. The material was nearly forgotten until Mo’ Wax learned of the acetates. Axelrod returned to Capitol’s Studio B with his old collaborators and dressed the material in orchestral arrangements. Two new tracks were added to the seven old ones: the opener “The Little Children” (with longtime co-producer H.P. Barnum and West Coast rapper Ras Kass) and the closer “Loved Boy” (a reunion with singer Lou Rawls).

The album opens with trembling strings and the trademark bassline of Jim Hughart, followed by a choir and bassoon. Ras Kass raps as the dark side of the Pied Piper, and the gothic, medieval atmosphere holds. The strings swell, a cello bows a lament, and the track erupts into post-bop with Lanny Morgan on alto. Next comes the boogaloo of “Jimmy T”: the orchestra meets the street funk of The Meters, with a baritone solo by Bob Efford. Guitarist Howard Roberts plays sharply, making each note sting. Axelrod’s regular rhythm section (Carol Kaye, Earl Palmer, Gary Coleman, Don Randi) is augmented by Joe Sample on organ. By the third track, “Crystal Ball,” it is clear there will be no flukes or clichés in these 36 minutes. Axelrod blends pop, rock, jazz, classical and blues, and the result sits naturally beside his work from 1968-1970. Restraint and excess are balanced with precision. The titles are dedications to friends and kindred spirits: “The Shadow Knows” to DJ Shadow, “The Dr. & the Diamond” to Dr. Dre and producer Diamond, “Jimmy T” to James Tolbert.

The closing “Loved Boy” is the emotional center of the album. Lou Rawls sings with raw, throaty honesty. He was with Axelrod when the news of the death of Axelrod’s son arrived. The orchestra holds him up while he lives the grief again, turning the song over and cracking it open until only a whisper is left. Only Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson and Paul Robeson could reach that depth. The song ends in silence and leaves the question of why such a swinging disc should close this way. The answer is that Axelrod needs to voice his grief honestly and beautifully, and there is no place for such a song on the album except the end. It is one of the most personal and honest moments in his work.

Tracklist:
1. David Axelrod - The Little Children
2. David Axelrod - Jimmy T
3. David Axelrod - Crystal Ball
4. David Axelrod - Fantasy For Ralph
5. David Axelrod - The Dr And The Diamond
6. David Axelrod - Big B Plus
7. David Axelrod - For Lands Sake
8. David Axelrod - The Shadow Knows
9. David Axelrod - Loved Boy